Why Man Utd's Problem Is Not The System, It's The Personnel

I consciousness for illustration I americium repeating myself whenever I talk astir Manchester United's problems but nan aforesaid things support connected happening.

They are making nan aforesaid mistakes, and they are not moreover that difficult to prevent.

I person watched each infinitesimal of United's 4 Premier League games this play and location are surely areas of improvement, which seems a bizarre point to opportunity aft they person conscionable mislaid a derby 3-0.

I've highlighted nan issues pinch Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 statement since he took complaint astatine Old Trafford past season, and I americium not a instrumentality of that shape, but they person worked connected it and you tin tell.

They look much compact arsenic a squad now, erstwhile they are attacking aliases defending. They get successful rather a bully style and nan distances betwixt their lines are overmuch smaller, which makes them harder to play through.

Unfortunately for Amorim, nan improvements they person made location person been overlooked because of nan silly mistakes they are making successful conceding goals which are costing them points.

When I look astatine immoderate of nan goals they person conceded this season, including Phil Foden's opener for City astatine Etihad Stadium connected Sunday, they are down to action issues, and players being utilized successful nan incorrect position, alternatively than nan strategy itself.

In nan first half against City, United did well. They won nan shot backmost 4 aliases 5 times precocious up nan transportation and, pinch a spot much finesse successful those counter-attacks, they could person scored themselves.

One of nan problems pinch Amorin's 3-4-2-1 is that nan 2 holding midfielders tin beryllium outnumbered but that did not hap astatine Etihad Stadium because Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, who were playing either broadside of Benjamin Sesko, dropped in.

The squad narrowed up which helped Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte successful midfield, because location were nary large gaps. Most of nan clip nan defence and nan midfield were adjacent to each different too, alternatively than nan defence dropping disconnected for illustration they did past play because of a deficiency of gait aliases confidence.

City did not wholly play done them and tear them apart, and that's not really they scored their first extremity either.

What happened location is that you person sewage Fernandes, arguably 1 of nan champion number 10s successful nan world, playing successful a deeper centre-midfield domiciled arsenic a number 8 erstwhile his instincts are not defensive.

A elemental tally disconnected nan backmost of him from Phil Foden was each it took to suffer him.

Yes, you could reason Luke Shaw mightiness person done amended erstwhile nan shot was successful nan container but Foden is free by that point, because Fernandes switched off.

As I highlighted connected Match of nan Day, he is ball-watching erstwhile nan transverse comes over. I don't deliberation he is lazy, because he is backmost successful position.

He is conscionable not utilized to spotting runners and seeing danger.

That's nan 2nd clip he has costs United a extremity this season, because he besides grounded to way Emile Smith-Rowe for Fulham's equaliser erstwhile they dropped points astatine Craven Cottage successful August.

The irony pinch Fernandes against City was that definite aspects of his play successful nan mediate of nan transportation were highly good.

It's not a wholly stupid thought to play him there, because his passing from heavy is tremendous to find nan runners up of him, and he is technically fantabulous arsenic good arsenic being brave connected nan ball.

The problem is what happens without it. A subordinate of his intelligence should beryllium capable to study to move connected a spot much successful protect situations too, but it's intelligibly not happening.

You conscionable can't play successful that domiciled if that's a regular occurrence for you, and it is down to nan head to recognise that and put players successful location who do it better.

Fernandes is not nan only United subordinate I look astatine and deliberation he is simply a quadrate peg successful a information hole.

Luke Shaw has played successful a backmost 3 earlier but he has spent nan mostly of his profession arsenic a move left-back and it feels for illustration he is being shoe-horned into a centre-back position nether Amorim.

Again you tin reason he should person nan value to adapt, and for Jeremy Doku to hit him truthful easy for nan first extremity was mediocre defending whether you are a left-back aliases a centre-half, but if immoderate players are not wholly comfortable successful their roles, past it is going to impact nan team.

For City's 2nd goal, again it was not down to nan United strategy failing, much a substance of things - and a multitude of individual mistakes.

Ugarte starts disconnected connected Foden but past follows nan ball, for illustration he did successful nan City move that led to their opener, and goes to property Nico O'Reilly, leaving Foden free.

From location it's a knock-on effect.

Noussair Mazraoui comes retired to Foden but can't extremity him playing a walk astir nan corner, Leny Yoro gets rolled by Jeremy Doku - nan 1 subordinate you cognize you don't get tight to - past Shaw is not beardown aliases accelerated capable to extremity Erling Haaland.

Ultimately, astir goals are down to a correction location but erstwhile players are comfortable successful nan system, and successful nan correct position wrong it, they do nan correct things - and nan errors don't stack up for illustration that.

We person to retrieve that United's commencement to nan play has not been horrendous - they should person beaten Arsenal, they did hit Burnley and will consciousness they had capable chances successful nan first half against Fulham to get nan occupation done location too.

But they sewage recovered retired against City, and arsenic nan 2nd half wore connected they could person shipped moreover much goals.

We cognize by now Amorim won't alteration his statement but he is bringing a batch of his problems connected himself by picking nan incorrect players successful nan incorrect position wrong it.

I still deliberation Fernandes arsenic a number 10, pinch 2 holding midfielders down him, is 1 of nan champion successful nan world but it seems improbable he will get nan chance to show it astatine United.

If United proceed to play nan aforesaid unit successful nan aforesaid strategy - including Fernandes successful cardinal midfield, a domiciled he has not played often capable to understand it - past nan aforesaid things we are seeing are astir apt going to support happening.

It's very uncommon that players alteration their reasoning connected nan transportation that overmuch and while they don't person that balance, they are going to support getting caught out.

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.